Breaking Addiction: A 7-Step Handbook for Ending Any Addiction

by Lance M Dodes M.D.

Overview

“Dr. Dodes’s approach runs directly counter to the paralyzing, but standard, message of ‘powerlessness’—a mes­sage that reinforces the sense of helplessness that is at the root of addicts’ life predicaments! Many psychiatrists recognize that this is where we must head, but Dr. Dodes is one with the guts to shine a beacon in the right direction.”

—Stanton Peele, PhD, author of 7 Tools to Beat Addiction and The Life Process Program of Treatment

 

The follow-up to his groundbreaking volume The Heart of Addiction, Dr. Lance Dodes’s Breaking Addiction is a step-by-step guide to beating addiction of any kind—from drugs and gambling to alcoholism, overeating, and sex addiction. By recognizing and understanding the emotional forces underlying addictive behaviors, Dr. Dodes says any dangerous, life-destroying obsession can be overcome. Including special bonus sections for both families and health-care professionals, Breaking Addiction is the new handbook for those suffering from addiction—a valuable resource that addresses addiction’s root causes and serves as an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous and similar recovery programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061987397
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/01/2011
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Lance Dodes, MD, is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in the Division on Addictions. He has been director of the substance abuse treatment unit of Harvard's McLean Hospital and director of the Boston Center for Problem Gambling. He has been elected a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I A New Way to Understand Addiction 5

Part II The Steps 23

Step 1 How to Know If You Have an Addiction 25

Step 2 How to Think about Yourself If You Have an Addiction 35

Step 3 Recognizing the Key Moment in Addiction 43

Step 4 How You Keep Yourself from Seeing the Addiction ahead of You 57

Step 5 Understanding What is Happening at the Key Moment in Addiction 77

Step 6 Short-Term Strategies for Dealing with Addiction 91

Step 7 How to Deal with Addiction in the Long Term 117

Test Yourself 129

Part III Living with Someone Who Has an Addiction 157

Part IV For the Professional 197

Acknowledgments 213

Index 215

What People are Saying About This

Edward Hallowell

“Without denying the difficulty of the terrain, Dodes’s program is a call to a clear-eyed, coherent approach. This groundbreaking work should become the ‘go to’ handbook for anyone suffering with addiction. Its easy-to-read style takes sophisticated ideas and turns them into memorable examples. I highly recommend it.”

Editorial Reviews

Without denying the difficulty of the terrain, Dodes’s program is a call to a clear-eyed, coherent approach. This groundbreaking work should become the ‘go to’ handbook for anyone suffering with addiction. Its easy-to-read style takes sophisticated ideas and turns them into memorable examples. I highly recommend it.” — Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Answers to Distraction and Superparenting for ADD

From the Publisher

Without denying the difficulty of the terrain, Dodes’s program is a call to a clear-eyed, coherent approach. This groundbreaking work should become the ‘go to’ handbook for anyone suffering with addiction. Its easy-to-read style takes sophisticated ideas and turns them into memorable examples. I highly recommend it.

Edward Hallowell